Portfolio Questions

Deputy First Minister Responsibilities, Economy and Gaelic Alexander Stewart S6O-04378 1. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to incentivise businesses to seek opportunities for scaling up. Colin Smyth S6O-04379 2. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the calls in public petition PE1979 for gaps in the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry to be addressed and for an independent whistleblowing officer for education and children's services to be established. Annabelle Ewing S6O-04380 3. To ask the Scottish Government how it is facilitating direct links with markets to promote economic development. Douglas Ross S6O-04381 4. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding any economic impact of delaying the full dualling of the A96, in light of the Moray and Inverness chambers of commerce calling for the road to be dualled in full and raising concerns that delays to delivering this are "constraining economic growth" in the area. Sue Webber S6O-04382 5. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions economy ministers have had with ministerial colleagues regarding what steps it is taking to improve regulatory clarity and reduce compliance costs for self-catering accommodation businesses. Ben Macpherson S6O-04383 6. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Edinburgh’s economy. Foysol Choudhury S6O-04384 7. To ask the Scottish Government what resources it has allocated to projects in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, including transport projects. Fulton MacGregor S6O-04385 8. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to further support Gaelic at a local level, in light of the announcement of North Lanarkshire’s first ever local Mòd, which will take place this September. Finance and Local Government Tim Eagle S6O-04386 1. To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the ways in which local authorities engage with stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024. Jackie Dunbar S6O-04387 2. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Aberdeen City Council to manage the impact of the UK Government's increase to employer national insurance contributions. Michael Marra S6O-04388 3. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Institute for Fiscal Studies' assessment in its Scottish Budget 2025-26 report that "it is particularly important that the front-loaded increases in investment and public service spending planned are undertaken effectively". Clare Haughey S6O-04389 4. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government increasing employer national insurance contributions, how it is supporting local authority finances. Liz Smith S6O-04390 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comment by the Scottish Information Commissioner that Scotland’s non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos, are costing taxpayers £6.6 billion annually. Alex Cole-Hamilton S6O-04391 6. To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the cross-government co-ordination of infrastructure, what discussions the finance secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding what consideration is given to national security in its infrastructure policy. Marie McNair S6O-04392 7. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities, such as West and East Dunbartonshire councils, that have to make PFI and PPP payments. Finlay Carson S6O-04393 8. To ask the Scottish Government how the total funding that it has provided for local government has changed over the last decade in real terms and as a proportion of total spending.